Soft, pale yellowish to purple fronds, solitary or tufted from discoid base, tubular, cylindrical or compressed, irregularly branched, to 500 mm long, filled with a watery mucilage. Axis and branches tapered at both ends, irregularly swollen, often twisted, to 5 mm or more broad. Basal disc to 20 mm diam., persistent, erect fronds initiated internally.

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Erect thallus, cylindrical when young, compressed when older, tubular-hollow, brow-red to crimson-purple, often yellow-brown at the tips. Thallus with irregular simple lateral branches, tapering at both ends, sometimes slightly swollen, often twisted around the longitudinal axis; soft, gelatinous. Holdfast a small, persistent disk, expanding with age (Braun & Guiry, 2011).

Loiseaux-de Goër, S. & Noailles, M.-C. (2008). Algues de Roscoff. pp. [1]-215, col. figs. Roscoff: Editions de la Station Biologique de Roscoff.

Basionym: Fucus contortus S.G.Gmelin

Type locality: Ad litus Scheuelingense prope Hagam comium e mari reiectum Cel. Pallas (Gmelin 1768: 181). Lectotype: Illustration in Gmelin (pl. 22: fig. 1) (epitype) (Irvine 1983: 14).